During the ceremony held for the 29th anniversary of the Day of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia (Dan Oružanih snaga Republike Hrvatske and the Day of the Land Army (Dan Hrvatske kopnene vojske) their Honor Guard Battalion received new uniforms and a new look - instead of their Yugo SKS rifles (P.A.P. M59/66), they got the new VHS-2 rifles with new bayonets (inspired partly by the AK bayonet, alongside the M9 bayonet and others).
Source: https://www.vecernji.hr/vijesti/prvi-pu ... ke-1405880
As far as I know, the bayonets are made by Eickhorn Solingen. However, I do not know the official designation, nor any other relevant information about it (dimensions, model name, etc).
And this bayonet is similar to the Canadian Bayonet 2000 for the C7A2 rifle (also made by Eickhorn Solingen for the Canadian Army), however the grip is a little different.
Pictures (taken from the above link and this one: http://www.paluba.info/smf/index.php/to ... #msg330699)
Croatian AK inspired bayonet for the VHS-2 rifle
Moderator: Mr. B.
Re: Croatian AK inspired bayonet for the VHS-2 rifle
After doing some research on the Croatian VHS-2 rifle and bayonet, do not believe that either one can be classified as Kalashnikov. The rifle is a completely new design and has very little, if any, Kalashnikov features. The bayonet is a wire cutter, but other then that, it most closely looks like a US M7 design. As mentioned above it is also similar to the Canadian issued bayonet as well as many other ones issued by NATO forces. It is not a Kalashnikov or Russian design and does not mount on AK or AK based weapons. We already stretch the imagination with VZ58, INSAS, M62, Galil and several other newer designed rifles and bayonets being Kalashnikov or cousins. Even the newer designed rifles and bayonets from various ComBloc countries have lost their AK heritage. I do not accept the VHS-2 bayonet as a Kalashnikov bayonet or even a cousin and would not include it in my collection. JMHO. Mike
Re: Croatian AK inspired bayonet for the VHS-2 rifle
Agree with Mike, not really an AK related one, but a very nice bayonet anyways, very good info and pics from Marko. Thanks Marko, I would gladly add one of these to my general bayonet collection. I suppose it will be a while before any "leak out"
I'll move this to the off-topic section, but enjoy reading posts like this.
I'll move this to the off-topic section, but enjoy reading posts like this.
Brian
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Re: Croatian AK inspired bayonet for the VHS-2 rifle
Thanks Brian, much better place for it. My apologies to Marko, no offense was intended. It may be Off-Topic, But I also enjoyed the great pictures and information. I appreciate seeing ALL military weapons, especially bayonets. However, I learned over the past years that I needed to specialize my collecting to something more limited in scope. I found it much easier and cheaper to focus my time and energy on just Kalashnikov bayonets and related items. It doesn't mean I don't have any other interests, but I just need to concentrate / focus on this one. Mike
Re: Croatian AK inspired bayonet for the VHS-2 rifle
You are welcome! And apologies for the (now) off-topic theme, because I am a noob in the world of collecting and AK bayonets. To my untrained and inexperienced eyes it looked like it had some similarities, but alas...Brian wrote: ↑Sun Jul 12, 2020 3:47 pm Agree with Mike, not really an AK related one, but a very nice bayonet anyways, very good info and pics from Marko. Thanks Marko, I would gladly add one of these to my general bayonet collection. I suppose it will be a while before any "leak out"
I'll move this to the off-topic section, but enjoy reading posts like this.
And I agree, it will be some time before (if any) leak out. However, if any do, I'll share the info.
No worries. I am glad that I shared this information.Mr. B. wrote: ↑Sun Jul 12, 2020 10:47 pm Thanks Brian, much better place for it. My apologies to Marko, no offense was intended. It may be Off-Topic, But I also enjoyed the great pictures and information. I appreciate seeing ALL military weapons, especially bayonets. However, I learned over the past years that I needed to specialize my collecting to something more limited in scope. I found it much easier and cheaper to focus my time and energy on just Kalashnikov bayonets and related items. It doesn't mean I don't have any other interests, but I just need to concentrate / focus on this one. Mike
Kind regards to the both of you and the rest of the forum!
Marko
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Re: Croatian AK inspired bayonet for the VHS-2 rifle
Great pics, wouldn't mind picking up one of these. Thanks for sharing